The Bahrain Chronicles, Part 3
by torriya
Summary: In which Coulson recruits May for his team (an elaboration of the scene between the two of them in the Pilot episode). Includes a flashback and some Philinda feels :) Black Widow is also in this story, but I didn't list it as a crossover, because it follows the SHIELD plot, and she just appears in it. If you haven't already, please check out my other SHIELD-related stories!


**Hi everyone! Here is the third installment of the Bahrain Chronicles. This one is just a one-shot, and its tie-in to Bahrain isn't super significant, but I figured I'd post it here anyway. The section in italics is a flashback. As always, enjoy, and please don't forget to review!**

"I'm not asking" Phil Coulson replied with a cocky smirk. "But it is a really nice plane."

Confident that he had just secured the final member of his team, Coulson turned to leave.

"Is that it?"

Coulson looked questioningly over his shoulder to see May glaring at him. "What?"

"Three weeks,, Coulson."

Coulson's face softened as for the first time, he noticed the pain behind Melinda's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mel" he murmurred.

May scoffed. "You're sorry. Three weeks of believing my best friend is dead, only to have him show up and ask _me_ for a favor. No 'hello', 'how you been'. Just 'I need a favor, goodbye'. How dare you-"

"Melinda!" Coulson interrupted. The only time May talked this much was when she was nervous or about to cry. And it was usually a toss up between complete silence and non-stop ranting.

May took a deep breath. "Do you have any idea what I've been through?" she asked in a whisper, and closed her eyes as the memories came rushing back.

 _Cover sheet. Page 1. Page 2. Page 3. End sheet. Staple._

 _Repeat._

 _Melinda May sighed and rolled her eyes._ Yay, 100th packet of the day! _she thought sarcastically as she added yet another S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol manual to her stack. It was days like these that made her consider calling up Fury and asking him to put her back in the field._ Maybe I should call someone, _she thought for the millionth time that week:_ Phil; Maria; hell, even Andrew.

...

 _ **Bringggg!**_

 _May answered the phone calmly: "S.H.I.E.L.D. Administration Office. Melinda May speaking."_

" _Good afternoon Agent May", a deep voice responded._

 _Surprised to hear the familiar voice, May sat up straighter in her chair. "Director Fury? I was just thinking about you! How can I help you, sir?"_

 _Fury sighed. That was the closest he'd heard Melinda to sounding okay since her mission in Bahrain, and now he was about to tear her world apart all over again. "I'm afraid I am the bearer of bad news", Fury replied, and, for the first time since May had known him, the director sounded shaken._

" _What's the matter sir?" she asked calmly. After Bahrain, May found it hard to believe that any news could shake her._

" _It's Agent C-" Fury's voice broke, and he cleared his throat loudly. "Agent Coulson"._

" _What about him?" May asked, and for the first time since Bahrain, she felt afraid. "Sir?" she asked urgently after he didn't reply. " **Is he okay?"**_

" _No", Fury replied gruffly. "He's dead."_

 _May gasped, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth as she began to shake._

" _I'm so sorry, Agent M-". The rest of his condolences were cut off as May dropped the phone onto her desk. An agent from another cubicle poked his head in, looking concerned._

 _May stood, running out of the office and into the nearest bathroom._ Phil _, she thought, her heart breaking._ Oh god, please not Phil. _She felt her stomach heave, and she barely made it to the stall in time before she emptied the contents of her breakfast into the toilet. She sunk to the floor of the stall and wept._

 _Phil Coulson's funeral was the following Saturday. The day was gloomy and raining, which Melinda appreciated because no one would be able to notice her tears amidst the rain. She wondered ironically whether Thor had purposely arranged the dismal weather as a tribute to his friend._

 _The funeral passed by in a blur. As the crowd of mourners finally started to thin out, Melinda felt a warm hand squeeze her own. She jumped, then looked up into the face of Natasha Romanoff. Nat's red hair was partially covering her face, but Melinda could still tell that the assassin had been crying._

 _May embraced her old friend, hugging her so tightly that Natasha gasped for breath._

" _How are you holding up?" the spy asked while rubbing comforting circles on May's back._

" _I think I'm dying, Nat."_

" _I know, Mellie, I know."_

 _The two women were silent as they thought about their deceased friend. May finally broke the silence._

" _It's my fault."_

" _Are you crazy?" Natasha asked incredulously. "You weren't even there!"_

" _Exactly" May replied. "I wasn't there. I couldn't save him."_

" _Mel, anyone on the planet could say that. It's not your fault."_

" _Nothing you say will make me believe that" Melinda replied softly, and Natasha gave her a sad smile._

" _I know." The redhead brushed away a stray tear off of May's cheek, as she gave her one last hug. "You need to start fighting with us, Mellie...for Phil. For what he died for."_

 _"I'm sorry, Nat." May said softly, her voice surprisingly firm despite her tears. "I can't."_

 _..._

"Melinda?" May jumped, and it took her a moment to recover from the shock of seeing Coulson standing in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. "You spaced out for a bit...I called your name 10 times."

May shook her head to clear it, then gave Coulson a tight smile. "I'm fine...just thinking about something."

"Okay" he replied, still looking concerned. "I, um, have to get going. Lola's outside waiting for me." He gave his former partner a warm smile. "It was so good to see you, Mel" he murmured. "I'm really glad we'll be working together again."

"Me too" May said, returning his smile.

"Oh, and Phil?" she called after him as began walking away. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

Coulson raised his eyebrows in a question, "What am I doing, Melinda?"

"You don't really need me to fly the plane" she acknowledged quietly. "You're trying to fix me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Melinda." Coulson called as he winked at her and turned away. "I need you to fix me."


End file.
